Just three days after the 2-2 draw against FC Schalke 04, FCA are in action again against Arminia Bielefeld on Wednesday (20:30 CET). Head coach Heiko Herrlich demands more courage from his side – and he’s looking forward to going up against his old assistant coach.

Head coach Heiko Herrlich’s side have had little time to enjoy the late equaliser against Schalke. FCA are in action again on Wednesday, away at Arminia Bielefeld. Nonethess, Herrlich took time to once again praise his side’s fighting spirit. “We’ve fought back to equalise with ten men twice now,” says Herrlich, drawing reference to the 1-1 draw in Gladbach. “It just shows that the side have great confidence.”

Despite that, there are some areas for improvement; Augsburg are winless in five games now (three draws, two defeats). “We know that there are things we can do better, and we’re always trying to improve,” says Herrlich. “It’s a process and we work on it every day.”

Herrlich: “We want to play with more courage”

Conviction, in particular, was missing for a long period against Schalke. “We only played with courage after we went down to ten men – we did really well after that,” says Herrlich, whose side played for more than 30 minutes after Florian Niederlechner was sent off. “On Wednesday, we want to play with courage and conviction from the start.”

Niederlechner will miss the game against Bielefeld as he is suspended. Marco Richter, who scored the late, headed equaliser against Schalke, could be his replacement. “He did really well after being introduced to the game,” says Herrlich. Left-back Iago (muscle strain) and forward André Hahn (Covid-19) will miss the game.

In any case, Herrlich says that he needs to consider giving one or two players a rest due to the busy schedule, with three games in seven days before Christmas. “We’ll see who’s available and we’ll have to see how we can manage workloads,” says the 49-year-old. “That will make sure that the team is as fresh as possible, but also solid and consistent.” 

Herrlich on Neuhaus: “A great person”

Herrlich will be coming up against an old friend on Wednesday – Bielefeld’s head coach Uwe Neuhaus. “He was the assistant coach when I was in Dortmund for six years,” says Herrlich. “It was a successful time. He’s a great person, I’ve always enjoyed his company and I’m always pleased to see him being successful. Tomorrow though, I hope that’s not the case.”

Bielefeld have lost eight of their last nine games, but are still above the relegation zone going into Wednesday. “They’ve had a period with a few defeats,” explains Herrlich, but he makes clear: “They’re a side with great quality – we can’t underestimate them.”

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